The Brewster Report

Health Care Reform victory comes with a Tragic Setback for Women's Rights

I find it difficult to celebrate President Obama's health care victory! 

 

First, the bill passed last night is the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and NOT A NATIONAL HEALTH CARE PROGRAM.  In other words, there are a few changes in the nations' approach to health care; however this is not a real NATIONAL health care program that would cover the millions of people that are unemployed and can't afford to pay, but not poor enough for assistance.  The plan will cover Viagra, but not a woman's Pro-Choice rights. 

 

The National Organization of Women (NOW), Planned Parenthood and NARAL Pro-Choice America have criticized President Obama's decision to sell out women's Pro-Choice rights for a vote.  Obama's decision to issue an executive order to reassure pro-life Democrats that there would be no federal funding for abortion was the wrong move. The executive order was published by the White House minutes before Congressman Bart Stupak (D-Mich.) announced that he and his bloc of pro-life Democrats would be providing the missing votes.

 

Pro-Choice New York [http://www.prochoiceny.org/news/press/201003211.shtml

 

March 21, 2010

Tonight Congress passed an historic health care reform bill. Unfortunately, this bill -- with its onerous restrictions on access to abortion care and the accompanying executive order enshrining the Hyde Amendment -- is far from an unadulterated victory. Pro-choice men and women will not soon forget today's disappointing outcome.

NARAL Pro-Choice New York is equally upset with President Obama's executive order, which enshrines the Hyde Amendment and reaffirms that women who receive their healthcare through a federal program (like Medicaid) or who serve their country in federal jobs or military service do not have the same rights as other American women.

This battle, which has been a painful reminder that we cannot ever take our reproductive rights for granted, has also served to reinvigorate the pro-choice movement. While we would have preferred that our renewed energy come on the heels of an unadulterated victory, rest assured that our nation's pro-choice men and women will not soon forget today's disappointing outcome.

 

From NOW http://www.now.org/

 

Health Care Reform Victory Comes with Tragic Setback for Women's Rights
NOW President Terry O'Neill said in a statement, "As a longtime proponent of health care reform, I truly wish that the National Organization for Women could join in celebrating the historic passage of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. It pains me to have to stand against what many see as a major achievement. But feminist, progressive principles are in direct conflict with many of the compromises built into and tacked onto this legislation."

President Obama Breaks Faith with Women
NOW is incensed that President Barack Obama agreed today to issue an executive order designed to appease a handful of anti-choice Democrats who have held up health care reform in an effort to restrict women's access to abortion. Through this order, the president has announced he will lend the weight of his office and the entire executive branch to the anti-abortion measures included in the Senate bill, which the House is now prepared to pass.

NOW/PAC Endorses Connie Saltonstall for Stupak Seat
Saltonstall is running for Congress from Michigan's 1st District, taking on reproductive rights foe and health care reform obstructer Bart Stupak in the state's Democratic primary this August.

White House Health Care Reform Bill Denies Women's Basic Rights
NOW President Terry O'Neill stated, "We will not accept a health care bill that trades off the rights and needs of some women for the benefit of others. And we will never stop fighting for the right of every woman to have equal access to the full range of reproductive health care, including abortion."

 

PUBLIC COMMENT: Smithsonian Folklife Festival

 

   

We need your help to preserve the Smithsonian Folklife Festival. For forty-three years, the Festival has educated audiences and honored tradition-bearers from around the United States and the world under the cool shade of the Mall’s elm trees. The trees provide essential shade for our many elderly tradition-bearers, as well as cover for our visitors (including young children) to watch patiently as a craftsperson slides a shuttle through a loom or molds a pot from wet clay. Now, as part of its fifty year plan, the National Park Service is attempting to introduce new regulations that would prohibit the Festival from using the shaded sections of the Mall, thereby endangering the viability of the Festival and the health and well-being of the public.

Over the years, the Smithsonian has treated the Mall’s trees with respect, implementing a broad range of practices, including carefully locating tents, protecting soil with flooring, and giving each area nearly two years to rest between uses. In fact, the only scientific, peer-reviewed study found that the Festival had no negative impact on soil quality or the health of the trees.

Please visit http://planning.nps.gov/NAMAquestions.cfm and under “Section 10” (Mall (3^rd to 14^th)) tell the National Park Service to: 

·         promote public health, safety, and learning by keeping culture and the American people under the Mall’s trees

The deadline for comments on the Fifty Year plan for the National Mall is April 20. Without your voice, generations of Americans will no longer be able to celebrate their cultural heritage together on the people’s front lawn.

 Rebecca Smerling Marcus
Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage
202-633-0644

Click to go to National Mall Planning web site

Click to go to Comments